‘All right, Mr Thompson. Come on over to the station when you’re done and we can get going as soon as possible. We’ll get some supplies. Don’t be long. Just ask for me at the front desk and they’ll show you through.’ Murray’s experience led him to be fairly sure Alec was very unlikely to be directly responsible for the disappearance of his wife and could be trusted not to abscond.
In spite of this confidence, he was thinking ahead just in case Mrs Thompson and her baby were not to be found. Back at his desk he made some notes in his diary. Next to the date and time he jotted ‘ fairly confident Mrs. Thompson and baby in town, if not already, then soon. Locals probably stopped, given her a ride.’ But as he completed his diary notes he thought I’d better look into Alec’s background. Things are not always as they seem. Hindley Street Headquarters might have some info on Mr Thompson.
He picked up the phone and dialled an Adelaide number. At this stage he was treating the situation as essentially one of missing persons. If Mrs Thompson didn’t turn up by evening he would report it to the Missing Persons Unit in Adelaide and get an intensive search going locally.
A couple of hours later a subdued group headed out of Ceduna, along Highway One in the police four-wheel drive. Sergeant Murray drove, Tommy sat next to him in the passenger seat and Alec and Harrison were in the back.
‘We’ll head up Caroba Tank Road then take the rough track to intersect with the dog fence north,’ Murray explained as they left the bitumen road. ‘Then travel east along the fence until you recognise the spot where you found your Kombi.’
Already well advanced, it looked like it was going to be a very long day.
For most of the journey they travelled in silence. Apart from a few instructions by Tommy to Sergeant Murray to turn, slow or stop there was little to say. It was an unusual situation with the Aborigine politely giving instruction to the police officer but Murray recognised and greatly respected the skills of the tracker. Alec sat anxiously in the rear seat looking out of the window at the passing landscape, his eyes searching as if suddenly Katherine and Carolyn might appear.
Once on the dog fence track they travelled more slowly, less because of the condition of the road than because Tommy needed to observe the road ahead more closely. Even before they reached the landmark tree under which Alec had sought shelter on Thursday night Tommy broke the silence, commanding, ‘Stop!’
They pulled up in the middle of the track and Tommy got out, pointing to the side. Once shown, the others saw where the Kombi had been towed off the track. Now, even without the expert eyes of the tracker, they could see an attempt had been made to disguise the track marks into the scrubby bush. Carefully they approached the location where the abandoned Kombi had been found.
‘That’s not where I left it,’ said Alec, ‘It was moved there.’
‘Just wait here, please,’ the official voice of Sergeant Murray ordered. ‘We don’t know what we might find and I don’t want you there when we investigate in case you inadvertently damage possible evidence. You too,’ he looked directly at Harrison. ‘You and Alec’s earlier footprints and your efforts at towing the Kombi have already probably damaged many of the earlier tracks.’ The police sergeant and the tracker walked over to where the Kombi had been hidden.
After a while Murray called to Alec. ‘It’s okay. You can come over now. I don’t think we’re going to find anything new.’
Alec approached. ‘When we came to tow the Kombi back we had a good look around but didn’t find anything odd. At that stage I was pretty sure that Kath had got a lift into town and she had left the Kombi because it’s difficult to steer. She’s not a strong woman.’
‘See anything?’ Murray directed his question at Tommy who was still silently and carefully walking around the site.
‘Yeah, look. There’s bin a truck. Tyres look differen’ ‘ere.’ He pointed to the ground. ‘He towed ya Kombi ‘ere.’ He led Alec around and showed him how he interpreted what looked like a jumble of wheel tracks to Alec. From the jumble Tommy told him a story.
‘See ‘ere. He stopped.’ He pointed. ‘Took off back ta track agin, an’ then ‘e comes back, ‘ere.’ Alec could not see where the differences were but Tommy was so certain of his story that he believed him.
‘Bloke stopped, an’ made camp.’ The tracker pointed to the small pile of sand. He leaned forward and scraped away the surface layer to reveal back charcoal fragments and grey ash. ‘Over there’s a swag put down, so’s two people sleep ‘ere.’
Sergeant Murray joined them and Tommy led him through the story again, pointing out the evidence.
‘Beats me how you can tell all that from this mess.’ Murray pointed to the disturbed ground. ‘And what about the tow-truck, isn’t that the other vehicle?’
‘Naw, differen’ tyres, see.’ Tommy pointed at the sand again and tried to show what, to him, were clear messages. ‘Them’s a Land Rover or Tojo.’
Murray shrugged his shoulders. Alec looked at the marks intelligently but could not distinguish one track from the other. The loose, creamy red sand seemed to be a poor medium for preserving definitive tyre tracks. They all looked alike.
The sergeant and Tommy left Alec looking forlornly at the ground while they walked around the site, searching for more clues. Harrison stood on one side, lit a cigarette and looked bored.
After a short while Murray said, ‘There’s not much more we can do here. Tommy has a pretty good idea of what happened. We’ll head back to where you originally stopped on the Thursday night and see if we can find anything more there. Then we’ll head back into town.’
The three climbed into the police vehicle and headed back along the track until the distinctive tree was in sight. They stopped some distance from it and Tommy got out to walk on ahead, looking intently at the ground.
‘Anything?’ Murray called.
‘Naw, same truck what did the towing, nuthin’ else,’ was the curt reply. ‘Headin’ that way.’ He pointed west.
They spent about half and hour at the tree site and found no evidence of a struggle or anything else that might suggest that something untoward had happened. Tommy scraped at some sand with his foot and exposed charred fragments of paper and tins. ‘Someone burnt rubbish ‘ere,’ he said.
Alec came over and looked. ‘That’s probably Kath. The tins look a bit like ours and that’s a bit of nappy liner.’ He poked at the fragments with a stick. ‘She probably burnt and buried some of our rubbish after I left.’
Murray found a cone of twigs over some crumpled newspaper, as if to start a fire that had not been lit. ‘Looks like your wife was going to make a camp fire and never got around to it,’ he said.
Tommy pointed out footprints along the fence and said, ‘Them’s a woman walking, carryin’ summin’.’ While the rest of the group waited near the tree, he followed the footprints to a point where a dead dingo lay. He stopped and looked at the animal, muttered something inaudible then slowly returned.
By now it was late afternoon and Sergeant Murray indicated that they should get back to Ceduna and do another round of the hotels. He did not tell Alec his thoughts that the sooner he put into practice his resolve to contact Port Augusta and Border Village the better. From his discussions with Tommy he had come to the conclusion that a four-wheel drive had picked up Mrs Thompson and her baby. If alive, they might be seen at one of those locations if they were not in Ceduna. Their disappearance was clearly not related to robbery and, if not innocent, he was afraid he might have a kidnapping or a sex crime, or both, in his jurisdiction. These were thoughts he did not want to share with Mr Thompson at this stage.
As they drove into town he said, ‘Mr Thompson, I think you should find a place to stay for tonight at least. We’d like you to stay in town until we get this sorted out. You understand that, don’t you?’
‘Of course, anyway I wouldn’t want to be going anywhere until I find my wife and baby.’
‘Okay. As soon as you have a place let me know at the station.’
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‘Drop me off at the caravan park. I reckon that’s as good a place as any. I’ll book in there and stay until we find Kath and Carolyn.’
‘Alright. Get yourself sorted out then come in tomorrow morning and ask for me. I’ll get someone from Whyalla or Augusta to see where we go from here if your wife doesn’t turn up in the meanwhile.’
* * *
It had been a very different day from the one that Alec had anticipated when he woke that morning. He did not feel like eating and, after sitting alone in the hired caravan until sunset, walked around the town until his legs ached. On returning to the park he fell, exhausted and fully dressed, on to the bed. He slept fitfully, disturbed by dreams, waking often through the night and reaching out across the double bed to an empty space.
Katherine tried to initiate conversation. ‘So, Benjamin, what brings you to this part of Australia?’
‘I keep bees. Jist bringin’ some queens outta Queensland.’
‘That’s interesting. Where do you keep bees?’
‘Gotta property in WA.’
‘Oh, where abouts?’
‘Outback.’
‘I’ve never been to WA. Why do you come along the dog fence, I’d have thought the main road is more direct. Not that I mind! If you didn’t I’d still be waiting there!’
‘Quarantine.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Can’t bring bee stuff ‘cross state borders so I’m taking ‘em the back way. I sell honey, wax, bee products an’ even hire me bees for pollination but I needs new queens. Stupid law. Them Tassies sell honey in WA but the law says I can’t take in me Queensland queens.’
Katherine was genuinely interested in the bees but the conversation was difficult. After answering each question Benjamin remained silent, awaiting the next prompt.
‘That does sound a bit silly. How do you transport the bees?’
‘In the ute. Under the tarp in special boxes. Trailer’s got empty hives jist with pressed wax for makin’ honeycomb. Need to expand the business.’
‘Where’s your place, near Perth?’
‘Outback.’
‘Anywhere near a big town?’
‘Nope.’
They lapsed into silence. It was clear Benjamin was not going to be chatty. Katherine leaned back, closed her eyes and dozed. The monotonous hum of the engine and steady drum of the wheels on the dirt road was broken only by an occasional metallic clatter as a larger stone hit the underside of the vehicle. The narrow-set headlamps lit the road ahead, creating deceptive shadows that turned every small bump or hole into a boulder or cavern. With Carolyn fast asleep in her arms Katherine thought about the excursion with Alec and how pleasant it had been. What a shame that it ended like this!
‘Are ya religious at all? Do ya know your Bible?’ The sharp, unexpected question interrupted Katherine’s thoughts.
She sat up. ‘Ah, not very well. My Dad was a farmer, mostly sheep. He died a while back. We, that is the whole family, went to church pretty regularly and I got married in our local church. My father-in-law is a minister, Reverend David Thompson, so I guess we’re sort of religious.’
‘If youse religious you’d know your Bible. How well do ya know ya Bible?’
‘Well, I know bits of it. I mean, I don’t read it much but I believe in the teachings of the New Testament.’
‘So you believe in what the Bible teaches us. An’ God?’
‘Yes, I suppose I believe in God. Why?’
‘Ya supposes so. Well, ya should believe in the Bible, all of it, an’ the rules it tells us. Did ya know the Ten Commandments was the very first laws in the world? And God is real. He talks ta me. I ‘ave visions an’ he talks ta me then. If ya follow what God tells us an’ follow his rules there’d be no problems.’
This was more than an unexpected conversation. It was making Katherine feel uneasy. Fortunately, Benjamin settled into contemplative silence.
After a while Benjamin slowed the four-wheel drive and turned to Katherine. ‘I’m tired. We’ll camp for the night an’ finish tomorrow.’ Katherine almost expected him to say, ‘if that’s okay with you,’ but he said no more. It was a statement of fact, not a suggestion.
Katherine answered as if she had been given the option. ‘Yes, I suppose that’s wise if you’re tired. And it will be easier to find Alec in Ceduna in the daylight!’ She hid her disappointment. Her hopes of a hot shower and warm bed were to be denied. She also hid the germ of anxiety that perhaps, after his strange claim to have visions from God, Benjamin might not be all he seemed.
Benjamin pulled out a rolled swag from under the tarpaulin and threw it unceremoniously on to the ground. It landed with a dull thud. ‘Ya kin take the swag. It’s clean an’ it’ll be okay for ya an’ bubs. I’ve got meself a blanket an’ sleepin’ bag.’ He pulled out a second bundle from the back of the Land Rover, and after scraping the ground with the side of his boot, threw it down about two metres from the swag. He passed Katherine the torch. ‘In case ya need ta get up in the night,’ he explained.
He turned off the vehicle side-lights and shut the doors. The sudden loss of light made the night seem darker. Katherine could hear the rustle of clothes and saw from the faint starlight that he removed his boots, socks, trousers and shirt. These he rolled neatly to use as a pillow. Wearing only a singlet and underpants he slid into his bag, leaving Katherine uncertain as to how to organise her own sleeping arrangements in the dark.
More by feel than sight Katherine slipped, fully dressed, into the swag hoping it was as clean as Benjamin indicated. She put Carolyn gently down next to her. Her nappy was still dry so she made no attempt to change it. Once in the swag she found it uncomfortably warm so opened one side to let the cool night air through. She lay quietly, thinking about the day’s events and wondering if tomorrow would see some sort of return to normality.
Within minutes she heard the rhythm of Benjamin’s breathing change and increase in volume. She listened for a while, looking up at the clear sky and bright stars. The moon was the merest sliver of crescent and the stars seemed brighter than she had seen them before. Even as she stared at the night sky her eyes grew heavy, languidly closed and she fell asleep.
* * *
It was still dark when the cracking of twigs woke her. She sat up suddenly, uncertain where she was. Benjamin was snapping small twigs and dead branches from the abundant accumulation on the ground to feed a fire, next to which was the billy. Katherine looked at Carolyn, still asleep but twitching. A hint of the day to come made the stars more difficult to see against a lightening sky spread with thin clouds.
‘Mornin’,’ said Benjamin.
‘G’morning,’ came her sleepy response, half swallowed with a yawn as Katherine covered her mouth. She felt like a wreck, her eyes still gummed with sleep and her hair all tousled from a restless night. While camping with Alec had not been five star, at least she had slept on a mattress. The swag was separated from the hard ground by very little material. ‘What’s the time?’
‘Dunno. Early.’
Katherine got up and walked carefully into the bushes, looking for a private place for a morning pee. She returned, combing her hair with her fingers, to find Carolyn fully awake and on the verge of crying. She picked her daughter up and climbed into the parked Land Rover to feed her. Benjamin stayed beside the fire and by the time Carolyn was fed and changed he had made tea. He came across to the vehicle and passed her a steaming mug. ‘Got sugar, but no milk.’
‘No problem, I can drink it black.’
‘Good, ‘cause milk ain’t easy ta come by out bush. Sometimes I use powdered but t’aint the same.’
‘Black’s fine, thanks.’
‘How’d ya go with bubs if ya lived out here with no milk?’
‘I guess I’d use powdered. Lots of beef or sheep stations don’t have access to dairy products. They survive, so do their babies.’
Silently they packed up the sleeping gear and were back in the Land Rover just as th
e dawn light warned of the rising sun, still hidden below the horizon.
The same routine continued as the previous night, driving without speaking, the vehicle bouncing along the track.
Suddenly Benjamin asked, ‘How old are ya?’
‘Just over twenty one. I was born the day Japan surrendered, fourteenth of August,’ Katherine replied without thinking, a little surprised by the abruptness of the question.
‘I’m gunna tell ya a story from the Bible.’ Benjamin looked sideways at Katherine for a brief moment before turning to look into the road. Any interest in her or her age seemed to have passed. ‘There were a Levite livin’ in remote mountains an’ he took himself a concubine.’ He looked at Katherine. ‘That’s a word what in the Bible also describes a wife. But she up an’ left him an’ went back to her father’s house in town.’
As he spoke, Benjamin changed, not only in the manner of his speech but also his body language. Katherine thought that he sounded as if he were preaching. He knew the story off by heart. His voice became louder and more precise. It was almost the voice of another, perhaps a preacher who might have taught him.
Benjamin looked directly ahead as if concentrating on the road. ‘This Levite followed her and stayed with her father for a time. Each time he tried to leave he were persuaded to stay longer. Eventually when he did get away it was late in the evening. He went with his woman an’ his servant but didn’t get very far before night. They stopped at a town called Gibeah. At that time this place belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. They decided to make camp in the open, in the town square ‘cause there were no other place. But an old man in the town offered to take them into his own home.’
Katherine was fascinated. The story itself was interesting but more curious was the fact that Benjamin was reciting it to her in this unusual tone of voice.